Love it or hate it, the transfer portal has completely changed the landscape of college basketball. And though many coaches still want to build the bulk of their rosters with players who spend three or four years developing in their programs, those same coaches also won’t hesitate to insert a player — developed by another coach in another program — into their own team.
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The overall effect on the sport is drastic, but certain players are absolute game-changers. And this season has many who could potentially shape teams’ futures.
So, welcome to Transfer Tiers. Throughout the season, we’ll be periodically checking back in with this ranking while we measure the impact these players have on their teams.
Te-Hina Paopao
As Dawn Staley retools the Gamecocks after graduating a senior class that went 129-9 over the last four seasons, looking into the portal was an obvious way to infuse instant talent around her high-potential recruits and current players. Paopao’s offensive ability, especially her 3-point shooting, fills a need, and her ability to play both facilitator or off-ball guard alongside Raven Johnson at the point will give Staley the versatility she wants in her backcourt.
But it’s Paopao’s defensive mentality that will make her insertion into this Gamecock team the most seamless. The 5-9 guard is an excellent man-to-man defender who keeps players in front of her and defends through full shot clocks without fouling. Last season, she averaged just one foul per game while playing 33 minutes a game.
- +3-point shooting
- +Pick-and-roll
- +Transition offense
- +Man defense
- -None
Hailey Van Lith
With Alexis Morris gone, LSU needed a point guard — and not just from a ball distribution standpoint. The Tigers require that player who can command what’s happening on the floor, step up and guard the opponent’s best perimeter player while also keeping the flow of the game where it should be. Though Van Lith was more of an off-ball guard at Louisville, she has the most playing experience of any LSU guard. It’s fair to assume she’ll be running the show in Baton Rouge.
Offensively, the entire team will present a pick-your-poison dilemma for opponents, but Van Lith’s mentality, passing ability and desire to get downhill should help keep the ball moving as the Tigers work to feature so many different players. Her 3-point shooting hit a career low last season, but with more offensive weapons around her, Van Lith’s 3-point shot selection will look pretty different this season. The two-player pick-and-roll potential with Van Lith and Angel Reese is enticing, as is the high potential for ball movement, which will put Van Lith in spot-up situations. Though Kim Mulkey will want LSU to play lockdown defense, this is an offense that can outscore elite teams by 30 because of all the weapons.
- +Playmaking
- +Breaking presses
- +Perimeter defense
- +High motor
- -3-point shooting percentage
Celeste Taylor
Of all the transfers this offseason, the one who seemed like the most-perfect puzzle piece was Taylor to Ohio State. The intensity, discipline and talent she’ll bring to the OSU full- and half-court defense moves the Buckeyes from a Sweet 16 team into Final Four contention. Last season (with Jacy Sheldon on the bench for much of the season), the Buckeyes led all power conference teams with 11.3 steals per game. Now, with Sheldon and Taylor at the top of the press (and with Cotie McMahon and Taylor Thierry at the second level), the Buckeyes are primed to better that number in 2023-24.
On the other end, Taylor becomes a ready-to-go dynamic player in Ohio State’s five-out offense. Coach Kevin McGuff will need to readjust without a 3-point shooting threat quite like Taylor Mikesell on this roster. Taylor is an athletic scorer whose abilities will complement and play off her OSU teammates. After two seasons of her offensive skill set seemingly underutilized at Duke, the full complement of her game should be on full display in Columbus.
- +Defensive mentality
- +Overall defensive fit
- +Finishing at rim
- +Transition offense
- -Mid-range game
Lauren Betts
The potential of a tandem post game with Cam Brink and Betts never came to be, and it still also seemed as though Betts’ full individual potential was never given a chance to shine as a freshman at Stanford. At UCLA, there’s a bit less crowding in the post, and it’s fair to think that coach Cori Close — after landing such a high-profile, in-conference transfer — will feature Betts in a big way.
The Bruins were one of the youngest teams last season, but they still managed to be one of the top rebounding teams in the nation thanks to a team effort. But Betts brings their inside game to the next level. Last season, UCLA shot 49 percent at the rim while its opponents shot 45 percent. By comparison, South Carolina — with its dominant paint play — shot 54 percent at the rim while its opponents converted just 38 percent of attempts at the rim, per Pivot Analysis. With seven of their top eight returning, the Bruins were going to be stronger this season. But adding Betts arguably gives Close the most potential she’s had in Westwood.
- +Finishing at rim
- +Rim protection
- +Rebounding
- -Development of mid-range game
- -Free-throw shooting
Jayda Curry
Louisville lost all three of its backcourt starters, so perimeter scoring and creation are immediate voids to fill. As the Pac-12’s leading scorer in 2021-22 — the only freshman to ever do this in conference history — Curry has the offensive chops to give the Cardinals what they’re lacking. She can score at all three levels and averaged 3.5 assists per game last season, ranking in the 92nd percentile of Division 1 players, per CBB Analytics.
Curry was already an efficient scorer at Cal with limited talent around her, ranking above the national average in field goal percentage and 3-point accuracy. Now that she has surrounding perimeter threats such as Kiki Jefferson, Nina Rickards and Sydney Taylor, Curry can take on a healthier balance of scoring and distributing and become even more hyper-productive. She’ll have to give a better defensive effort, but if coach Jeff Walz could make Chrislyn Carr useful on that end of the floor, Curry should be able to figure it out, even at her size.
- +Three-level scoring
- +Creating shots
- -Size
- -Defensive playmaking
Lexi Donarski
With the loss of Kennedy Todd-Williams to the transfer portal and Eva Hodgson to graduation, the Tar Heels needed to add at least one experienced player out of the portal who had offensive potential and defensive versatility in order to capitalize on a season that might be the last for Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby. Enter: Donarski.
The 2021-22 Big 12 defensive player of the year has 95 starts under her belt and learned how to become an impact player at Iowa State while playing alongside Ashley Joens. So, slotting in beside Kelly shouldn’t be too much of a worry. She knows how to help elevate a team with multiple great players — and high-volume shooters — on the floor.
Though Donarski’s 3-point shooting percentage dipped last season, if she can get into the 37 percent territory like her sophomore season (or the 41 percent territory like her freshman season), she’ll be a massive help to the Tar Heels (a team that seems as if it needed a little push over the offensive edge in many losses last season). With the exception of the losses to Indiana (24 points) and NC State (11 points, in double OT), North Carolina’s average loss last season came by an average of five points.
- +Half-court offense
- +Shooting off dribble
- +Defense
- -Pick-and-roll defense
- -3-point shooting
Endyia Rogers
Rogers is the only player on this list whose presence doesn’t put her new team (or keep that new team) in Final Four contention. But Rogers’ return to her home state of Texas moves the Aggies, who finished at the bottom of the SEC last season, into the top-25 conversation. That deserves Tier 1 recognition.
The two-time All-Pac-12 selection was an absolute steal for Texas A&M coach Joni Taylor as the Aggies work to improve on last season’s paltry 57 points per game. For a team that needs everything, Rogers is just the ticket. She was excellent in the half-court offense for the Ducks, and giving rising sophomore Janiah Barker a perimeter threat like Rogers will make that tandem a fierce duo in the SEC. As Texas A&M looks to build, bringing in Rogers’ all-around game and experience is a no-brainer. Now, we’ll see how far she can help pull the Aggies.
- +Half-court offense
- +Pick-and-roll
- +Breaking press
- +Three-level scoring
- -Defense
Jewel Spear
The name of the game in Knoxville this season will be spacing. The Lady Vols’ two best returning players are Rickea Jackson and Tamari Key, and both of them do their best work in the paint. That makes it incumbent for the players sharing the lineup to spread the floor, and that is Spear’s best skill, making her a natural fit on this roster.
Spear could probably stand to do a little less ballhandling than she did at Wake Forest — she isn’t the most natural passer — but she’ll do damage off ball after shooting a combined 37 percent from 3-point range in her three seasons there. One thing to keep an eye out for: Spear’s efficiency went down dramatically in games against Quad 1 opponents last season, and she’ll face plenty of those during Tennessee’s challenging nonconference schedule. Ideally, more help around Spear will prevent good defenses from loading up on her in the same way.
- +3-point shooting (volume and accuracy)
- +Ball control
- -Facing elite opponents
- -Drawing fouls
Aneesah Morrow
This isn’t going to be a two-bigs, pack-the-paint type LSU team. With Morrow as a slightly undersized four, LSU’s offense will be able to space the floor so the Tigers’ playmakers have space to create. It sounds like Morrow’s 3-point shot — a struggle during her first two seasons at DePaul — is looking stronger through fall practices. If she can become a true three-level scorer, her offensive ceiling seems as though it could be the difference between a trip to the Final Four and a runaway game in the national championship.
She also gives the Tigers defensive versatility. She’s smart and fearless, which gives her chances to jump into passing lanes (which can jump-start the LSU offense), but defense will be her larger liability, at least early on, as she jumps into the SEC. She played in the Big East so she got to see UConn and Villanova talent, but she didn’t face talent the likes of an Ashlyn Watkins, Rickea Jackson, Snudda Collins night-in and night-out.
- +Scorer's mentality
- +High motor
- +Rebounding
- +Playing defensive angles
- -3-point shooting
- -Defending at rim
- -Free-throw shooting
Lauren Park-Lane
Mississippi State coach Sam Purcell isn’t afraid to have an undersized player running the point. As an associate head coach at Louisville, he had 5-foot-6 Dana Evans. Last season, he had 5-7 Anastasia Hayes. Now? He has the most undersized of all of them: 5-3 Park-Lane. Despite her height (or perhaps because of it), she has become an expert in playing angles, playing in small pockets and using change of pace to break down defenders. During four seasons at Seton Hall, these skills allowed her to convert 47 percent of her attempts at the rim. Last season, the only player who averaged more assists per game was Caitlin Clark. Now, Park-Lane will be surrounded by stronger offensive players.
The Bulldogs’ best strength is their defense, and it’s here that we could realistically see Park-Lane become a vulnerability as she matches up against more physical SEC point guards. But, as it did with Hayes last season, Mississippi State’s staff likely will use a variety of sets — match-up zones, full-court press, half-court press — to limit how much Park-Lane is targeted by opponents. And, if that defense can produce turnovers and get Park-Lane out in transition, then the benefit could seem well-worth the risk.
- +Playing angles
- +Distributing
- +Scorer's mentality
- -Size vs. SEC guards
- -3-point shooting
Kennedy Todd-Williams
Todd-Williams was the second-most impactful player for North Carolina’s offense last season, and that was primarily because of her offensive rebounding. She is outstanding at attacking the glass and created second-chance points at a high rate for a Tar Heels team that was otherwise blah on the boards. Ole Miss is already an excellent offensive rebounding unit, as the Rebels collected 38.2 percent of their misses in 2022-23, so the hope is that Todd-Williams propels them into elite status, on par with conference foe LSU (45.3 offensive rebound rate).
As for the other facets of her game, Todd-Williams can do a little bit of everything. She can guard multiple positions and is a particularly good shot blocker. She can handle the ball and has a low turnover rate as well as a low assist percentage. She also draws fouls well and converts on a decent percentage of free throws. Todd-Williams isn’t a primary option on either end, but Ole Miss will enjoy having her because she provides quality on both sides of the ball.
- +Offensive rebounding
- +Defensive versatility
- -Defending without fouling
- -Shooting accuracy
Becky Obinma
The Irish have a guard-heavy roster this season and essentially had only one traditional returner who was a true post player — Kylee Watson. So adding another big body in the paint was a priority for coach Niele Ivey to ensure Notre Dame had the depth it needed to get through the season.
Obinma’s rebounding numbers at Pepperdine put her among the top 10 percent of players last season even though she averaged fewer than 20 minutes per game. Her length is going to be a huge help on defense as long as she can play without fouling (she also averaged 3.1 fouls per game in fewer than 20 minutes per game last season). While Watson is the expected starter, Obinma will be called upon to play crucial minutes — especially if Watson gets into foul trouble — and she’ll be one of the most important backups in the country.
- +Rim / paint protection
- +Rebounding
- -Sustaining play with increased minutes
- -Fouling
- -Offensive consistency
Destinee Wells
The Lady Vols potentially added two starters through the portal with Spear and Wells. And with their returning players — Rickea Jackson, Jillian Jillian Hollingshead and a healthy Tamari Key, among others — they have a high ceiling. But Wells could end up being the catalyst to it all. At Belmont, she was a true three-level scorer, shooting 52 percent at the rim, 45 percent in the mid-range and 46 percent from beyond the arc. She was the centerpiece of Belmont’s offense, so her adjustment to the SEC will require balancing looking for her own opportunities versus setting up teammates.
Defensively, Tennessee lost two players who created the most perimeter havoc last season — Jordan Horston and Jordan Walker. They combined for 40 percent of the Lady Vols’ steals. Wells has the potential to be a big contributor here. As a freshman, she averaged 2.4 steals a game for Belmont.
- +Three-level scoring
- +Distributing
- +3-point shooting
- -Pick-and-roll defense
- -Size
Shayeann Day-Wilson
After earning Duke’s starting point guard job in the second half of her freshman year, Day-Wilson essentially platooned the role with Vanessa de Jesus in 2022-23. The split did not work well for her. Her efficiency as a shooter cratered (she made 37 percent of her 2-pointers and 29 percent of her 3-pointers), and she had visible tension with coach Kara Lawson.
In a new environment, there’s hope that Day-Wilson can recapture the promise of her debut season. She’s still excellent at drawing fouls — her 39.4 percent free-throw attempt rate was in the 82nd percentile of all Division I players last year — and she sees the floor well. Day-Wilson’s assists per game were in the 79th percentile despite the Blue Devils running an atrocious offense that didn’t create many scoring opportunities. As an upperclassman who knows this conference, Day-Wilson should hit the ground running for Miami.
- +ACC experience
- +Setting up teammates
- +Drawing fouls
- -Streaky shooting
- -Turnovers
Indya Nivar
Nivar could quickly move up these rankings throughout the season simply because of all of the unknowns right now. North Carolina is experiencing a fair amount of turnover and will be in need of contributors. It really seems as though Nivar only scratched the surface of her skills and potential at Stanford. With the Cardinal, the former five-star player and 2022 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year didn’t get much run so it’s hard to project her specific fit.
What we do know: She’s a dynamic 5-10 guard who impacted every level of the game as a high school player. As a senior, she averaged 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals per game. As coach Courtney Banghart builds around Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby, the two key pieces of her foundation for the program, Nivar seems like a player whose growth this season could be key to a deep March run.
- +Man defense
- +Guarding multiple positions
- -Experience
- -3-point shooting
Sharnecce Currie-Jelks
Indiana has one of the best bigs in America — Mackenzie Holmes. You know what the Hoosiers didn’t have? Depth behind her. Over the last three seasons, Holmes has averaged more than 30 minutes per game. And when she went to the bench, it was pretty obvious. So bolstering paint play and depth was crucial for Indiana, and by picking up Currie-Jelks — the reigning OVC freshman of the year — coach Teri Moren has done just that. Moren typically hasn’t run with a particularly deep bench during Indiana’s ascension into the upper echelon of women’s college basketball. But with Currie-Jelks in the fold, she now should not only have the opportunity to get Holmes more rest in some games, but also the chance to run out larger, two-big lineups that the Big Ten hasn’t seen much of in the past few years from IU.
- +Finishing at rim
- +Rebounding
- -Defense
- -Developing mid-range
Matilda Ekh
Matilda Ekh was fourth in the Big Ten in made 3-point field goals last season, canning nearly 39 percent of her looks, along with 95 percent of her free throws. Now, Ekh joins an offensive system designed to get her open shots from beyond the arc. Think of all the creative sets Kenny Brooks has in his playbook to spring Cayla King for 3-pointers — now he can run those for the duo. Ekh can shoot off of spot-ups, cuts or off screens, allowing Virginia Tech to move her around in a variety of ways.
The separating factor for Ekh will be if she can diversify her repertoire beyond being a long-range specialist. Michigan State’s offense scored 1.00 point per possession, an excellent rating via Synergy, when she was the pick-and-roll ballhandler, but that happened on only 15 possessions last year. If Ekh can play-make a little to give Georgia Amoore a break (similar to what Kayana Traylor did last season) or develop a driving game, she will evolve beyond a role player and help raise Virginia Tech’s ceiling.
- +Shooting
- -Playmaking
Kayla Padilla
In Los Angeles, the focus will be on JuJu Watkins and Rayah Marshall. But by the end of the season, we could find ourselves talking a ton about the impact that Padilla had. There’s real potential for that duo to actually become a three-headed monster with Padilla as the third. Padilla is best playing in tandem (or a trio) with others through screening action and in transition, so she’ll match up well with those two. In addition to shooting 39 percent from long range, she also shot 43 percent from the mid-range and 44 percent at the rim last season at Penn.
- +3-point shooting
- +Half-court offense
- +Man defense
- +Experience
- -Transition to power conference
- -Turnovers
Maddie Nolan
The player with the best on-off differential last season for Colorado – and by a large margin – was Frida Formann. The Buffaloes were 15.4 points per 100 possessions better when Formann was on the floor, and the second-best on-off rating was plus-5.4. Colorado loves to pressure the rim, so getting one high-volume spacer on the floor was critical.
Now, the Buffaloes have two of those shooters. When one lands in foul trouble, like Formann did in the season-ending Sweet 16 loss to Iowa, Maddie Nolan can step in, or the two can play together and create even more space for the likes of Jaylyn Sherrod and Aaronette Vonleh to score in the paint. Nolan values the ball and knows her role, making her an ideal veteran for Colorado.
- +3-point shooting
- +Ball control
- -Creating
- -Paint offense
Denae Fritz
Fritz said she entered the transfer portal because she wanted to find a faster-paced offense to better fit her game. Though the Bears didn’t play that much faster than the Cyclones last season (73 possessions per 40 minutes vs. 72), Fritz must believe that coach Nicki Collen’s influx of transfers means Baylor will pick up the pace. If it does, Fritz will be a big part of that. She’s a strong, rangy guard who was an elite 3-point shooter in high school. If she can crash the boards more with Baylor, get this team out in transition and find a flow with her outside shooting, she could help Baylor return to the top of the Big 12.
- +Floor spacing
- +Rebounding
- -Perimeter defense
Lauren Ware
Ware missed last season with a knee injury, but assuming she stays healthy, coach Joni Taylor will have some options for configuring her Aggies’ rotations — which is a good thing. Janiah Barker and Tier 1 transfer Endyia Rogers seem like the obvious go-to players and stars, but at the five, Ware could become a huge asset for Texas A&M. At 6-5, she’ll give a constant presence in the paint on both ends while allowing Barker to roam and pick her spots to attack. Her mid-range game is strong, though she didn’t rely on it much during two seasons at Arizona.
- +Protecting rim
- +Rebounding
- -Returning from injury
- -Consistency with increased role
(Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Photo of Celeste Taylor courtesy Ohio State Athletics; Photo of Hailey Van Lith: Alika Jenner / Getty Images)